Ryan Mason played down fears about the future of Tottenham vice-captain Harry Kane after a disappointing 3-1 home loss to Brentford.
Kane’s 30th goal in all competitions put Spurs ahead after eight minutes, but the visitors turned the game around after the break through Bryan Mbeumo’s double and Yoane Wissa’s late goal.
It ensured Tottenham suffered a 14th defeat of a poor campaign in their final home fixture, which ended with the players doing a lap of honour in front of largely empty seats.
Vice-captain Kane waved to the fans who had stayed and uncertainty remains over his future with only one more year left on his deal at Spurs.
But Mason insisted: “He waves at the crowd every season.
“I remember sitting here two years ago and you guys were convinced he was leaving, saying the same thing.
“It’s the last home game of the season so he wants to show his appreciation to the support he’s received and we’ve all received this season.”
Spurs had impressed during the opening 45 and Son Heung-min, Emerson Royal, Arnaut Danjuma and Dejan Kulusevski all went close before half-time.
No second goal occurred for the hosts and Mbeumo’s quickfire brace after the break proved crucial.
Mason added: “This is the Premier League. You have to be ready for the whole game.
“I thought the first half we played a very good match, had a few opportunities to score a couple more, but of course in the second half the intensity dropped and we were punished.”
Back-to-back defeats have damaged Tottenham’s hopes of securing European football next season and there were further chants for chairman Daniel Levy to leave during his latest loss.
Mason admitted it hurt to see so many fans depart before the lap of honour but urged the club to commit to a philosophy this summer in its search for a new head coach and managing director of football.
“Of course (it hurts). It is understandable because of how probably the second two-thirds of the season have gone on and off the pitch but ultimately we know the fans will be there next season,” Spurs’ acting head coach insisted.
“This club will keep moving forward and now is the time where we need to be stronger than ever and believe in what we’re going to do, commit to it and have people that are committed to it.
“And I always say in football things can change very quickly and the energy can change quickly.
“There are many different conversations that need to happen, but ultimately, I have said it quite a bit, we need to commit to something and be consistent with it.
“Then have people, staff and players here who are committed to it too and I think that transfers to everyone else. That is what we need.”
Brentford were able to toast a milestone victory that means they have now defeated each member of the ‘big six’ during their first two seasons in the Premier League.
This fine win also ensured the Bees’ finished a difficult week on a high note after 20-goal forward Ivan Toney was hit with an eight month ban from all football activity on Thursday for repeated betting breaches.
“I think it is unbelievable and remarkable,” Frank said of Brentford’s top-six feat.
“For a newly promoted team over two seasons to beat all of the top-six teams must be quite unique so yes, of course we’re proud of that.
“We’ve already talked about (Ivan). To replace 20 goals in the Premier League is not easy but we actually have good players in the squad that can score goals and every single time Wissa is playing instead of Ivan he scores goals.
“He did that today and Kevin, he will score goals because he is such a threat going in behind.
“Of course the big praise is to Bryan today. He is growing more and more to be a key player for us.”
I’ll relish this’ says Dominic Calvert-Lewin after Everton break their duck
Dominic Calvert-Lewin took a swipe at the Everton boo boys after marking his return from injury with a goal in the 3-1 win at Brentford.
The England striker was jeered by some fans after he went off with a fractured cheekbone during the 4-0 defeat at Aston Villa at the start of the season.
But he showed the Toffees what they have been missing by climbing off the bench to wrap up their first win of the season.
“Football is a funny old game,” Calvert-Lewin told Sky Sports.
“When I came off against Aston Villa my own fans booed me off. Today they cheered me. I’ll relish this and take the rest with a pinch of salt.”
James Tarkowski had headed the Toffees back into the lead against his old club after Mathias Jensen cancelled out Abdoulaye Doucoure’s opener before half-time.
Then Calvert-Lewin grabbed only his second goal since last October when he collected James Garner’s through-ball and slotted home.
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Boss Sean Dyche insisted a vastly improved display had been on the cards for a while despite picking up just one point from their first five matches.
He said: “I don’t think it came from anywhere. The signs have been there but you have to change the storyline, you have to take your chances.
“To come in at 1-1 was a bit of a head-scratcher, so to come out in the second half and be so calm again was very pleasing.
“I’m very pleased with the whole performance. My job is to look at the performances, win or lose. We’ve deserved more but you’ve got to force it and today we did.
“We had a good chat in the week with the players and said it’s us who have to change the story.
“It’s tough playing well and not getting results. That’s where you should grow and have on-pitch maturity and play under pressure and that’s what we did today.”
The Bees, by contrast, were distinctly off-colour and are still without a win at home this season.
Boss Thomas Frank said: “It was a very bad day. Everton deserved to win, we performed badly.
“We performed very well in our first first five games, but today was a bad one.
“It was very unlike this group of fantastic players, but we are good at bouncing back from a bad performance and I expect us to bounce back.”
Dominic Calvert-Lewin on target in Everton’s victory at off-colour Brentford
Dominic Calvert-Lewin climbed off the bench to kick-start Everton’s season in a 3-1 win at Brentford.
The England striker grabbed his first goal of the campaign to wrap up a first Premier League win for Sean Dyche’s side.
James Tarkowski had headed the Toffees back into the lead against his old club after Mathias Jensen cancelled out Abdoulaye Doucoure’s opener.
It was a vastly improved display by Everton, although the Bees were not at their best.
They were not helped by a late reshuffle after Kevin Schade limped off during the warm-up and was replaced by Keane Lewis-Potter.
Ashley Young immediately fell foul of a surging Lewis-Potter run, the 38-year-old’s tackle earning him a booking after just 38 seconds, the fastest of the season so far.
But Everton went ahead in the sixth minute after James Garner’s corner was initially cleared.
When the ball was laid back to Garner, the England under-21 midfielder swung in a cross towards Tarkowski.
The former Bees defender knocked the ball down and Doucoure lashed it home on the volley for what was only Everton’s third league goal of the season.
They should have been further ahead, but when Dwight McNeil raced on to Beto’s flick-on he dragged his effort just wide, before Doucoure crashed a shot against the crossbar.
Brentford were uncharacteristically giving the ball away at every opportunity, but when they finally managed to string a few passes together, they equalised.
Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and then Vitaly Janelt fed the ball out to Jensen, who took a touch before lashing his shot across goal and in off the far post.
Everton almost hit the front again when Idrissa Gueye’s through-ball found Beto, who dinked it over the advancing Mark Flekken only to see it float the wrong side of the post.
Then Brentford missed a golden chance to go ahead after Gueye gave the ball away and Lewis-Potter just failed to convert Mbeumo’s cross-shot at the far post.
Dyche sent on Calvert-Lewin for Beto with half an hour to play, but it was Tarkowski who struck first with a towering header from McNeil’s corner.
There was no chance of a muted celebration from the centre-half, who was booed by the home fans throughout, as he gleefully ran off with his fingers in his ears.
Calvert-Lewin, who is finally fit again after a string of injuries, then grabbed only his second goal since last October when he collected Garner’s through-ball and slotted home to secure a much-needed victory.
Roy Hodgson ‘feels sorry’ for referees as Palace boss questions new directives
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson admitted he “feels sorry” for referees challenged with incorporating a host of new Premier League rules and regulations implemented before the start of this season.
The 76-year-old returned to the dugout at Selhurst Park after illness caused him to miss last weekend’s trip to Villa Park, and disagreed with Fulham boss Marco Silva that the Cottagers were the superior side in Saturday’s goalless draw.
Among the changes this season is a crackdown on having more than one coach inside the technical area, a decision Hodgson will still need some convincing to embrace.
The former England coach said: “I feel so sorry for the referees. All these new directives, which to most of us who have been in football for a long time can’t really make an awful lot of sense, but they feel obliged to follow it through.
“Little things annoy you. Why can’t somebody from the bench, one of the coaches, come and stand by me for 30 seconds to shout instructions with you before being told immediately you’ve got to go back to the bench?
“It’s our job to do that, our job is to coach the players, work with the plan. I can understand if people are crowding in the bench in that area and making a nuisance of it.
“But if you’re talking about someone who comes out from time to time to say a couple of words, where is the problem? How does football benefit from that?”
The two London sides entered Saturday’s contest with almost identical records to start their season, Hodgson’s men having scored just one more goal than Silva’s to separate them in the table.
Both teams had chances, Eberechi Eze firing just wide late in the first half of his 100th appearance for Palace while both Raul Jimenez and Willian were denied by Eagles keeper Sam Johnstone.
Fulham squandered a second-half chance with an overpowered pass, while Hodgson’s introduction of Jean-Philippe Mateta to play up front alongside Odsonne Edouard failed to break the deadlock.
Hodgson said: “I’ve seen many games like today lost by just one goal. We didn’t do that, so the positive is we can be better, we will be better and we got one more point in our bid to move up the table.”
Fulham boss Silva, however, felt his side did enough to deserve more.
He said: “I think overall during the game we were the team that created more chances to win. I think I’m pleased with the performance, just we have to be much more effective in our attack, when we’re in certain areas of the pitch.
“I think we were strong enough with good organisation, very good work from our two midfielders and our two central defenders. Good work from our two full-backs as well.
“I think overall we were the best team on the pitch and deserved three points, even if the game was balanced, of course, but the team that created more was ourselves.”
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